Fulham Reach Boat Club (Fulham Reach) is a sport-for-development charity, underpinned by their venture Rowing For All. This school year, Fulham Reach have started working with a local alternative provision school, Westside School, in addition to the existing ten state schools that row through their school programme. I caught up with Fulham Reach coach, Leo Malim, who has started working with this new school.
Firstly, Leo, how did you get into rowing?
I have always loved being on the water, and being in boats, so when I was offered the choice of playing cricket or learning to row at school, it was an easy decision. From those exploratory outings – which included a bit of swimming at first – I got swept into a very slick competitive program and never looked back.
I was fortunate to row with a group of people that were like-minded, we won some big races at the schoolboy level and went onto the GB program. I have some very happy memories and great friendships from rowing.
What attracted you to work as a coach at Fulham Reach?
Around seven years ago, I started to restructure my life and knew that I wanted to get involved with the sport again but I was unsure how to go about it. I was looking for some volunteering opportunities in the Fulham area, where I was living at the time, and found a post from Fulham Reach looking for coaches. I liked the mission statement that I found on the website and a quick visit to the site allowed me to meet the staff and I have been coaching on and off since 2017.
The ability to pass on my knowledge of and passion for the sport combined with the outreach focus of the charity ticks all the boxes for me. Plus, there is a strong culture of kindness, inclusivity, and teamwork at the club that makes it a real pleasure just to spend time hanging out with other coaches, staff, members, and athletes.
Westside School is an alternative provision school for children who have been disengaged from mainstream education and caters for special educational needs (SEN). How have you found coaching these sessions?
I have really enjoyed working with Westside. I had no idea what to expect when the kids first arrived but it’s clear that they all have stacks of ability and potential and it’s our job to try and corral their energy and nurture an understanding of what it takes to make a good oar: discipline, concentration, silence, following instructions, teamwork. These kids have been turning up in British winter weather with a smile on their face (most of the time!), and watching some of them push themselves in new directions has been a real pleasure.
The feedback from their teachers and their rapid commitment to our program is a great validation of the work we are doing and the power of rowing as an agent of change.
Children with special education needs (SEN) are up to 5 times more likely to be excluded or expelled from school. Given your knowledge and experience as both a coach and a clinical psychotherapist, has there been anything different in the way you coach sessions for children with special educational needs?
I think that good coaches are using psychological and psychotherapeutic techniques all the time. I suppose my education and work in the field allow me to accurately index how I might change the focus of our teaching for children with SEN. Humanistic psychotherapy focuses on concepts of self-discovery, and harnessing free will to unlock your human potential. Person-centred therapy is a strong component of the humanistic canon.
Fundamentally, I don’t know of their experiences or their realities. For example, I am reminded that a significant proportion of the kids we teach to row have a fear of the river or water. Thus, the water represents an existential threat to them. Our floating raft is a safe space for me, but for them, it’s a real-life game of “the floor is lava.” Carl Rogers, the great humanist, believed that Unconditional Positive Regard was a necessary state of being for the therapist to adopt and I believe this also applies to coaching children with SEN. They need to know that they are getting positive, consistent and safe coaching in order for trust to be built and successful outcomes to be generated.
Some of the feedback from the School has been hugely positive and truly heart-warming. One teacher commented that “the introduction of rowing [at Westside] has improved pupils’ concentration levels, and the children really enjoy it, so it forms a motivator for other school work.”
I am also delighted that several children want to pursue work experience with Fulham Reach. They are clearly growing a passion for the sport and the work we do.
Learn more about Fulham Reach Boat Club and its community outreach programs as a registered charity enabling Rowing For All at their website.
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